and many more benefits!

Find us on Facebook

GMAT Club Timer Informer

Hi GMATClubber!

Thank you for using the timer!
We noticed you are actually not timing your practice. Click the START button first next time you use the timer.
There are many benefits to timing your practice, including:

Should I be concerned about age for admissions into a top MBA program? [#permalink]

Show Tags

09 Mar 2017, 19:10

Dear Consultant,

Intending to apply for the Fall 2018 intake, I am in the process of preparing for my GMAT which shall further be followed by the usual application activities. I have a work experience of about 7 years now and I am 32 years old now. Looking at the average ages mentioned in the statistics of top 20 MBA programmes , I can't help but be concerned about whether having a higher standard deviation from average age at these schools can go significantly against my chances of acceptance.

Answer to whether my concern is well founded would help me apply to appropriate schools

Show Tags

Hi KM - thanks for writing! Your concern is valid, since the average age for top schools for the full-time program is late 20s with about 4-6 years of work experience. For applicants over the age of 30, business schools do wonder why now is the right time (i.e. why they didn't apply earlier in their career) and are concerned about recruiters who might prefer younger applicants for the post-MBA jobs they're looking to fill. There are certainly exceptions every year, with students in each class who are in their 30s - however, if you decide to apply to a full-time program, you need to make a strong case for why NOW is the right time. Alternatively, you could look into part-time programs (which is a bit more flexible in age requirement) or executive programs (which have older applicants further along in their careers, but who are generally employer-sponsored).

I hope that helps! Do let me know of any other questions

kavish2000 wrote:

Dear Consultant,

Intending to apply for the Fall 2018 intake, I am in the process of preparing for my GMAT which shall further be followed by the usual application activities. I have a work experience of about 7 years now and I am 32 years old now. Looking at the average ages mentioned in the statistics of top 20 MBA programmes , I can't help but be concerned about whether having a higher standard deviation from average age at these schools can go significantly against my chances of acceptance.

Answer to whether my concern is well founded would help me apply to appropriate schools

Re: Should I be concerned about age for admissions into a top MBA program? [#permalink]

Show Tags

10 Mar 2017, 20:07

1

This post receivedKUDOS

If rather be in class with someone who has 7 years of work experience, than someone with 2. You'll have a lot more to contribute to class discussion. I don't think 32 is too old for an MBA, I think it's appropriate! Good luck to you.

Re: Should I be concerned about age for admissions into a top MBA program? [#permalink]

Show Tags

11 Mar 2017, 09:23

mbaMissionNishaT wrote:

Hi KM - thanks for writing! Your concern is valid, since the average age for top schools for the full-time program is late 20s with about 4-6 years of work experience. For applicants over the age of 30, business schools do wonder why now is the right time (i.e. why they didn't apply earlier in their career) and are concerned about recruiters who might prefer younger applicants for the post-MBA jobs they're looking to fill. There are certainly exceptions every year, with students in each class who are in their 30s - however, if you decide to apply to a full-time program, you need to make a strong case for why NOW is the right time. Alternatively, you could look into part-time programs (which is a bit more flexible in age requirement) or executive programs (which have older applicants further along in their careers, but who are generally employer-sponsored).

I hope that helps! Do let me know of any other questions

kavish2000 wrote:

Dear Consultant,

Intending to apply for the Fall 2018 intake, I am in the process of preparing for my GMAT which shall further be followed by the usual application activities. I have a work experience of about 7 years now and I am 32 years old now. Looking at the average ages mentioned in the statistics of top 20 MBA programmes , I can't help but be concerned about whether having a higher standard deviation from average age at these schools can go significantly against my chances of acceptance.

Answer to whether my concern is well founded would help me apply to appropriate schools

Thank you for your reply. I had always suspected that an age higher than the average would be an issue. However I am quite clear that I do not want to attend an executive program. I do have a solid case , at least to my mind, as to why (a second) MBA now.

I already have an MBA from Indian B-school (top 15), completing which I worked as a Business analyst for an Indian IT giant for 15 months, followed by 27 months in a Bank under Relationship management/sales role for commercial banking and currently for the past 38 months I am involved in managing operations for my family business in Mumbai . With a focus on New Business development, I am involved in people management (a team of 20 people including those in the functions such as Accounts, Warehouse, Sales and Operations ). I think I am at a juncture where , having a strong business development, management and leadership experience of running & growing a 3 Million US$ turnover company for 38 months , a solid MBA program with subsequent international career will help me take that next big jump into understanding and working for a global business.

However I cannot comment on how much of a value would the above case be to a business vis-a-vis the applicant age of 32+

Would be helpful to know what colleges would be more likely to admit someone with my background

Re: Should I be concerned about age for admissions into a top MBA program? [#permalink]

Show Tags

11 Mar 2017, 09:24

MBABoss wrote:

If rather be in class with someone who has 7 years of work experience, than someone with 2. You'll have a lot more to contribute to class discussion. I don't think 32 is too old for an MBA, I think it's appropriate! Good luck to you.

Show Tags

Hi again - thank you for providing this additional information! The first thing I'd recommend doing is, among your schools of initial interest, confirm that you are still eligible for an MBA given that you already have one (even though it's from outside the US). Schools' policies vary so I'd check with them directly. If you are eligible, then wanting international exposure is a valid point, but you'd have to be very specific regarding the skills/experiences you're hoping to gain from the specific program.

Regarding school options - I'd use eligibility as a starting point, then research which schools offer the international skills/experiences you're hoping to gain so you can make a strong case for them.

Hope that helps!

KM2018AA wrote:

mbaMissionNishaT wrote:

Hi KM - thanks for writing! Your concern is valid, since the average age for top schools for the full-time program is late 20s with about 4-6 years of work experience. For applicants over the age of 30, business schools do wonder why now is the right time (i.e. why they didn't apply earlier in their career) and are concerned about recruiters who might prefer younger applicants for the post-MBA jobs they're looking to fill. There are certainly exceptions every year, with students in each class who are in their 30s - however, if you decide to apply to a full-time program, you need to make a strong case for why NOW is the right time. Alternatively, you could look into part-time programs (which is a bit more flexible in age requirement) or executive programs (which have older applicants further along in their careers, but who are generally employer-sponsored).

I hope that helps! Do let me know of any other questions

kavish2000 wrote:

Dear Consultant,

Intending to apply for the Fall 2018 intake, I am in the process of preparing for my GMAT which shall further be followed by the usual application activities. I have a work experience of about 7 years now and I am 32 years old now. Looking at the average ages mentioned in the statistics of top 20 MBA programmes , I can't help but be concerned about whether having a higher standard deviation from average age at these schools can go significantly against my chances of acceptance.

Answer to whether my concern is well founded would help me apply to appropriate schools

Thank you for your reply. I had always suspected that an age higher than the average would be an issue. However I am quite clear that I do not want to attend an executive program. I do have a solid case , at least to my mind, as to why (a second) MBA now.

I already have an MBA from Indian B-school (top 15), completing which I worked as a Business analyst for an Indian IT giant for 15 months, followed by 27 months in a Bank under Relationship management/sales role for commercial banking and currently for the past 38 months I am involved in managing operations for my family business in Mumbai . With a focus on New Business development, I am involved in people management (a team of 20 people including those in the functions such as Accounts, Warehouse, Sales and Operations ). I think I am at a juncture where , having a strong business development, management and leadership experience of running & growing a 3 Million US$ turnover company for 38 months , a solid MBA program with subsequent international career will help me take that next big jump into understanding and working for a global business.

However I cannot comment on how much of a value would the above case be to a business vis-a-vis the applicant age of 32+

Would be helpful to know what colleges would be more likely to admit someone with my background

Show Tags

I personally know some of my friends who are attending Full time MBA programmes at Booth, Stern and Cornell all of whom already had had an Indian MBA before they applied for MBA programmes at the above mentioned schools. That gives me some confidence as to acceptance of wanting to pursue an MBA from US School despite having already earned an MBA from another country.

However do you suggest writing to the admissions committee of the preferred schools asking for the same?

Show Tags

Hi again - I would include your rationale for wanting a second MBA in your Optional Essay within the application. For each school you're applying to, double-check that getting a second MBA is something they'd allow - and if so, include your reasoning in your essay.

I personally know some of my friends who are attending Full time MBA programmes at Booth, Stern and Cornell all of whom already had had an Indian MBA before they applied for MBA programmes at the above mentioned schools. That gives me some confidence as to acceptance of wanting to pursue an MBA from US School despite having already earned an MBA from another country.

However do you suggest writing to the admissions committee of the preferred schools asking for the same?

MBA Acceptance Rate by Undergraduate Major Many applicants may wonder if their undergraduate major impacts their chance of getting into business school. Admissions data suggests that your college major...